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1715538

registered interest
date	02/05/2024
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Local Government: Audit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 23 November 2023 to Question 1227 on Local Government Finance: Audit, how many new professionals have qualified to audit local authority accounts from the Chartered Institute of Public Accountancy; and how that figure compares with expectations for 2024.
tabling member constituency	North Shropshire
tabling member printed	Helen Morgan
uin	24732
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/05/2024 answer text <p>The Local Audit Qualification was launched by the Chartered Institute of Public Accountancy. The department does not hold the requested information.</p> answering member constituency North Dorset answering member printed Simon Hoare question first answered 08/05/2024 14:17:22 answering member 4494 label Biography information for Simon Hoare
tabling member	4934 label Biography information for Helen Morgan

1715356

registered interest
date	01/05/2024
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Local Government: Audit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many councils had a completed audit on time for the financial year 2023-2024.
tabling member constituency	North Shropshire
tabling member printed	Helen Morgan
uin	24599
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2024 answer text <p>The deadline for councils in England to publish audited accounts for financial year 2023/24 has not yet passed.</p> answering member constituency North Dorset answering member printed Simon Hoare question first answered 07/05/2024 16:02:43 answering member 4494 label Biography information for Simon Hoare
tabling member	4934 label Biography information for Helen Morgan

1713310

registered interest
date	23/04/2024
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Local Government: Audit
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current backlog in local authority audits; and what plans they have to deliver all outstanding audit opinions by their proposed deadline of 30 September.
tabling member printed	Lord Shipley
uin	HL4051
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/05/2024 answer text <p>The Government has been clear that the significant backlog of local audits in England is unacceptable. It is taking action to deal with this backlog and put the system on a sustainable footing. On 8 February DLUHC, with local audit system organisations, issued a <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fconsultations%2Faddressing-the-local-audit-backlog-in-england-consultation%2Flocal-audit-delays-joint-statement-on-update-to-proposals-to-clear-the-backlog-and-embed-timely-audit&amp;data=05|02|Will.Noble%40levellingup.gov.uk|5e3ccd18914a4b14340508dc6503a3e2|bf3468109c7d43dea87224a2ef3995a8|0|0|638496313516218439|Unknown|TWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D|0|||&amp;sdata=QU9K5l1Eb1y2kxws975R%2FMRmhu8zGHFjSWy8j%2BRMxRo%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Joint Statement</a> setting out a clear package of measures to meet these challenges, alongside the launch of DLUHC and National Audit Office consultations.</p><p>We proposed a statutory backstop date of 30 September 2024 for the publication of audited accounts for all years up to and including 2022/23. This will enable local authorities and firms to focus on the most recent accounts as quickly as possible. Five years of further backstop dates would allow assurance to be gradually rebuilt. The Government also recognises that important questions concerning systemic challenges must be addressed.</p><p>The Government is carefully reviewing consultation responses and will respond in due course.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Scott of Bybrook question first answered 01/05/2024 13:18:00 answering member 4553 label Biography information for Baroness Scott of Bybrook attachment 1 file name Local audit delays_ Joint statement on update to proposals to clear the backlog and embed timely audit.pdf title Joint Statement
tabling member	4176 label Biography information for Lord Shipley

1683132

registered interest
date	17/01/2024
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Local Government: Audit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many best value inspections have been carried out in each year since 2010; and how many minded to notices have been issued in that period.
tabling member constituency	Oldham West and Royton
tabling member printed	Jim McMahon
uin	10217
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2024 answer text <p>The following table has been drawn from publicly available data. Officials have taken “minded to notices” to mean seeking representations on using best value powers from the Local Government Act 1999 to issue directions to a council that the Secretary of State considers is failing its duty of best value. Note that the table includes extensions and reductions to existing notices as well as new interventions and therefore there is some ‘double counting’.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Best Value Inspection</p></td><td><p>Sought representations on intervening using Best Value powers</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014</p></td><td><p>2</p></td><td><p>1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>2</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>2</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>3</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>2</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2020</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2021</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>2</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2022</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>4</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2023</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>5</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2024</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency North Dorset answering member printed Simon Hoare question first answered 24/01/2024 15:39:42 answering member 4494 label Biography information for Simon Hoare
tabling member	4569 label Biography information for Jim McMahon

1682599

registered interest
date	16/01/2024
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Local Government: Audit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what progress his Department has made on clearing the backlog of local audits in England since the 2015-16 financial year.
tabling member constituency	North West Norfolk
tabling member printed	James Wild
uin	9951
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2024 answer text <p>The Department working with system partners has developed proposals to tackle the exceptional circumstance of the current backlog and ensure a return to timely delivery of high-quality financial reporting and external audit in local bodies.</p><p>This has been detailed work, balancing various imperatives across the system. Having thoroughly tested the options, I recently wrote to the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee and confirmed that the Department, supported by the Financial Reporting Council, and alongside the National Audit Office, will launch consultations on these proposals in the coming weeks. The solution on the table has the agreement of all system partners and is the best proposal to clear the backlog and over time, return to high quality assurance.</p><p>Our proposals will include an initial statutory backstop date of 30 September 2024 for local authorities and auditors to publish their audited financial accounts for all outstanding local audits in England up to and including the financial year 2022-23. While these consultations take place, preparers and auditors should continue undertaking existing work to produce and audit local authority financial statements to ensure the system is in the best place possible to implement any final package of measures.</p> answering member constituency North Dorset answering member printed Simon Hoare question first answered 23/01/2024 17:09:54 answering member 4494 label Biography information for Simon Hoare
tabling member	4787 label Biography information for James Wild

1667997

registered interest
date	07/11/2023
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Local Government: Audit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to reduce backlogs of audit opinions for local government bodies.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
uin	384
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/11/2023 answer text <p>The Government is continuing to engage across the local audit sector, including local authorities on the proposals set out in the system wide statement published in July. Further details will be issued in due course.</p> answering member constituency North East Derbyshire answering member printed Lee Rowley question first answered 13/11/2023 12:48:58 answering member 4652 label Biography information for Lee Rowley
tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

1660223

registered interest
date	12/09/2023
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Local Government: Audit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the correspondence by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Government and Building Safety to local authority Chief Executives on local audits in England, dated 18 July 2023, whether he intends to produce guidance for councils on reducing the backlog of local authority audits.
tabling member constituency	St Albans
tabling member printed	Daisy Cooper
uin	199170
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/09/2023 answer text <p>The Government is continuing to engage across the local audit sector, including local authorities. Further details which will be issued in due course.</p> answering member constituency North East Derbyshire answering member printed Lee Rowley question first answered 20/09/2023 12:20:30 answering member 4652 label Biography information for Lee Rowley
tabling member	4769 label Biography information for Daisy Cooper

1659774

registered interest
date	11/09/2023
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Local Government: Audit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many and what proportion of local authorities (a) failed to meet the deadline of 30 September 2022 and (b) were still due to provide audited accounts for financial year 2021-22 as of 1 September 2023.
tabling member constituency	North Shropshire
tabling member printed	Helen Morgan
uin	198914
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/09/2023 answer text <p>The challenges facing local audit are complex and require action from organisations across the system. We have worked with key partners to implement the majority of Redmond's recommendations.</p><p>We are continuing to deliver reform in this area, including developing the proposals set out in the cross-system statement on local audit delays published in July, and are working with the FRC as it prepares to take on its new role as system leader for local audit.</p><p>Local authorities' websites show whether statement of accounts have been audited.</p><p>More generally, as you know, the Government is establishing the Office for Local Government (Oflog) so as to improve the accountability for performance across the local government sector, including overspending. Lord Amyas Morse, former Comptroller &amp; Auditor General of the NAO, has been announced as Oflog’s interim Chair.</p> answering member constituency North East Derbyshire answering member printed Lee Rowley grouped question UIN 198913 question first answered 20/09/2023 16:25:06 answering member 4652 label Biography information for Lee Rowley
tabling member	4934 label Biography information for Helen Morgan